International Relations PDF EPUB

The Great Illusion

Downloads: Under 100
First published: 1909
Pages: 284

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About this book

Norman Angell set out to demolish a widely held belief of his age, that a great nation could enrich itself through military conquest. Writing on the eve of the First World War, he argued that the economies of industrial states had grown so interdependent that war among them could only destroy wealth on all sides, victor and vanquished alike. Credit, trade, and finance, he showed, do not follow the flag, and seizing territory yields no lasting profit. The book sold in huge numbers and gave rise to study circles and lecture tours across Europe. The catastrophe of 1914 seemed to mock its thesis, yet Angell had never promised that reason would prevail, only that war made no economic sense. This free PDF and EPUB edition brings his argument back into view.

About the author

Norman Angell

Sir Norman Angell (1872-1967) was a British journalist, lecturer, and politician who served briefly as a Labour member of Parliament. A tireless campaigner for internationalism and collective security, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1933, largely for the arguments set out in this book.

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